


Ori, Embracing the Light

by yuminpa



Category: Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Genre: Emotional, Epilogue, Gen, Spoilers, VERY MAJOR WOTW ONES, like the epilogue of the game 'cept fic style, so I recommend you don't read this until you've finished the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23377963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuminpa/pseuds/yuminpa
Summary: Letting go of the past.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	Ori, Embracing the Light

**Author's Note:**

> just in case you didn't read the tags THIS HAS MAAAAJOR WILL OF THE WISPS SPOILERS so i recommend you. don't read. until you know everything   
> Well if you do, then great! Please read this uhfbfnfnfnnf
> 
> this parT BROKE ME. :(  
> also i recommend you listen to 'a stirring of memories' from the WOTW OST whilst reading this! it'll make this a LOT more emotional >:3c  
> or not. idk.
> 
> anyway! let's go  
> Also comments are super duper appreciated!! Please leave a comment

Throughout the whole fight between Shriek and Ori, all Ori could think about was what Seir had said to him just before the fight, shortly after they restored the Spirit Willow for a short time. 

_ If only I could carry this light once more...but it is no longer mine to hold.  _

_ My time has come and gone. A new age must begin.  _

_ My child...I give the light to you. Though to bear it, you must grow.  _

_ One life you must leave behind to save the lives of all.  _

**_One life you must leave behind to save the lives of all._ **

Somehow, he immediately knew what she meant when she uttered those words; but he could not respond to them as they were being said. 

He only stood there as Seir was speaking from her rightful place in the Spirit Willow, blinking in disbelief, mouth awkwardly slightly agape, thinking:  _ Me!? _

_ I can't do that; I have to go home. I have to go back to Swallows Nest– I can't stay here and watch over somewhere not even remotely close to my home…’ _

But as Ori was fighting Shriek away, slashing at her with the Spirit Edge and dashing and bashing away from her attacks; he came to a realisation. 

_ ‘If I don’t do this, Ku will be gone forever.  _

_ She would never get the chance to go back home and lead a happy life, and this will be just as bad as Nibel when it went blind, if not worse, and if I don't do this...Niwen will never return to its former glory again…’ _

And right then and there, he decided– despite not wanting to, thinking he was not emotionally ready to take on such a responsibility– that he would do it. 

Once Shriek was defeated, once she was gone, her squawks silenced; Ori would do it. He would make his way towards Seir and embrace her, doing what had to be done, albeit reluctantly. 

He was an altruistic spirit. He would not refuse to do something for his own sake and his own sake alone. 

Besides, what mattered more in the grand scheme of things: a mere family and a child’s desire to go back home and resume a life of happiness and normalcy, or a whole forest? Tons of other lives, tons of regions lost to eternal winters or thick sands, tons of innocent creatures, big and small, lost to corruption?

Though he could not dwell on that just yet; Shriek was not done yet, and he had to thi—

_ Oh–! _

She was. 

The final hit was blown. 

She let out a deafening shriek, living up to her name; and began to tumble from the sky. The sudden change of pace startled Ori, and he seemed to tumble from the sky too; eventually hitting the ground with a massive  _ THUD.  _

  
  
  


_ He could have sworn it was all over, just like that…to survive such a fall would be impossible. _

  
  
  


But, of course, his hitched breathing quickly picked up, and his eyes slowly fluttered open. 

His heart was racing and he was still shaking from the surge of adrenaline from the fight; but, when he tried to stand up, he found that he couldn't. So he just resorted to resting on his hands and knees for now until he found the motivation, the strength to move even more 

It was not that his shaking limbs couldn't hold him up; it was because he was weakened. Weakened like never before, both physically and emotionally. 

For a moment, all he wanted to do was go and find Naru and hug her,  _ tight;  _ but for all he knew, she was still back at Nibel, and he knew that there was no turning back now. 

But the possibilities of her not being at home were high: perhaps she and Gumo came to Niwen, too, looking for Ori and Ku; perhaps they had already found Ku, unresponsive and wrapped in leaf-like blankets; perhaps their hope faltered. 

But he didn't know that. 

He finally stood up, and began to walk. 

Tears formed in his eyes but he refused to let them out; why weep?

He did have to do this, after all. 

He was too focused on concealing his tears that he didn't notice a sudden drop; and he tripped straight off of it, not bothering to even try and stop himself from falling down the step.

He laid there for a moment, though, still trying to conceal all of his tears; and upon realising that it worked, he could get there without crying, he got up again and resumed walking. 

More than anything, he just wanted to go back home and see his family. He just wanted to jump into Naru’s arms again and hug her again; or help Gumo with creating something, whether that be some kind of bridge or a knickknack of sorts. He just wanted to see Ku again and get along with her again like siblings do, hug like they did in the Silent Woods.

Or perhaps he wanted to go and say ‘hello’ to the new Guardian Spirits. 

Perhaps he wanted to talk to Sein and the Spirit Tree for just a bit longer.

He just wanted to go home. 

As he was walking, though, a memory seemed to resurface from the back of his mind: it was of when Ku finally hatched out of her egg after so much time had passed, and when he first held her. 

But the memory was cut short when he reflexively grabbed on to the nearest thing so as to prevent himself from falling again; and his paw landed right on a spike. 

But he did not wince or do anything of the sort like he would if this was his first journey. 

He let go, though, and he realised that the bundle of spikes was not exactly big or threatening; and he reluctantly passed through it without being too hurt. 

_ Hm. This was giving him an odd sense of déjà vu… _

As he continued walking, memories of Niwen began to resurface. Not from the back of his mind like the memory of his family, though, considering all of these things happened all too recently.

…Upon meeting Tokk, Ori never thought he would enjoy his presence, with his snarky mood and pessimistic vibe. But now that it was all over, he would most likely never see or speak with the bird ever again, Ori began to miss those one-sided interactions that he  _ wished _ he could respond to, but never found the courage or motivation to utter a word. 

He thought about Opher, too, and Twillen, and Lupo, and Motay, and all of the kind Moki he had interacted with throughout his adventure around Niwen. 

But the creature he was thinking about the most in the moment was Kwolok, and his kind yet sorrowful gaze.

How he helped Ori get to the Silent Woods, how he guided him to where Ku was. 

He let them reunite again. 

…

Ori was too focused on his own thoughts that he somehow managed to trip over his own hooves; ending up on the ground for a moment. 

It interrupted his thoughts, but that was okay. 

He slowly got up once again and continued to walk, the urge to turn back becoming more and more apparent; but he had no choice but to ignore it. 

He was getting weaker by the second, both emotionally and physically;  _ he wanted to go home.  _

He wanted to cry. 

But why weep? There was no reason to. 

He would still be here, after all. He would still be sentient. He would just grow up. 

But growing up means letting go of the past, letting go of the opportunity to hug his family again, letting go of the opportunity to speak and smile and laugh—

  
  


But he would still be here. So there was no point in weeping or being nostalgic; yet here we are. 

  
  


The Moki crossed his mind next, as he clung on to a branch sticking out of the ground for support. 

Their ways were charming; and they somehow consoled Ori after he realised what happened to Ku with little words, or no words at all. 

Ori did not exactly mean to befriend a whole  _ species,  _ but he did so anyway, and that was what mattered. 

The memory faded away, and he let go of the branch, aiming to walk down the small gentle hill; but his knees buckled as soon as he let go of the branch and he tumbled down the hill, and he landed on his stomach, scratching it in the process. 

For a moment, his memories went blank and the motivation to move or get up disappeared. 

He just laid there, eyes shut for a moment, truly not wanting to do anything else other than sleep. 

In Naru’s arms, preferably. 

But for all he knew, she was not there. She was not in Niwen. 

  
  


_ Ugh… _

  
  


The motivation to move just a little bit came back; and he used all of that motivation to pull himself up and walk the little distance he had left to get to Seir. 

Once he saw the golden light, he dropped to his knees, looking at her, still refusing to let out the tears that were still building up in his eyes. 

He stayed there for a moment, thinking. Thinking about whether or not there was anything to give up, to release into the wind; to forget about. 

There was. 

He pulled out his feather, the one he had kept ever since his first adventure in Nibel. 

He looked at it for a moment, just...thinking…

He had to let this go. Just like everything else in the past: his family: Naru, Gumo and Ku, and by extension Sein, the Spirit Tree and perhaps even Kuro…

And everyone else he had met...Kwolok, the Moki, Tokk, Opher...Motay, Kii (even though he did not see him much), Twillen…

Everyone else he had forgotten to think about…

He had to let it all go. 

So, albeit reluctantly, he held Kuro’s Feather out into the air, letting it glide with the wind; letting it  _ go.  _

_ Goodbye… _

  
  


“It is time, Ori.” Seir whispered. 

The urge to turn back became even more apparent; he just wanted to run away…

But he could not. 

So, reluctantly, he gently held the golden light, surprised at its lack of warmth. He was thinking that, if Sein had a warm aura of light (which she did), surely Seir would have it too. 

She did not. 

But he could not dwell on the past for any longer…

He held her closer, and closer, and…

Finally  _ embraced the light. Like he was supposed to all along.  _

Despite being scared, despite being reluctant, despite feeling as if he was too young to take on yet another responsibility like this one, despite just wanting to jump into his mother’s arms and say something to his family or communicate while he still could—

_ He did it. He embraced the light and uncovered his true destiny.  _

This was his purpose, and now that he had fulfilled it— he felt accomplished, sort of... _ complete _ . 

Though he was going to miss being able to hug his family, or talk to them; he would still be able to communicate, and feel...that was the important part. 

He was still here. 

He just could not do the things he would love to do; but  _ what mattered more? _

_ A child being able to talk to his family? _

_ Or a whole forest? _

  
  


Besides, in the words of Seir:

**_With every Spirit Tree, a light._ **

**_And with every light, a tree.  
  
_ **

And the cycle continues on...


End file.
